The Enigma
by underdogwriter2410
Summary: He was unpredictable. Every move of him was a riddle, full of questions and dark secrets from his past. He was dangerous, someone she had to avoid from the first time they met. Unfortunately, curiosity got the best of her. And she regretted it. -AU- HIATUS UP TO SEPTEMBER.
1. Chapter 1: First Sight

**A/N: **Hi everybody! I would like to present to you my second series for Lucas/Skye pairing. :D

I'm so thrilled for this new series as I worked very hard for this. So first of all I'd like to thank every single one of you that have been so kind to me for supporting through my first story "Backfired", and now I decided to expand my horizon by writing this new series. This will be a huge chunk of story just like my previous one, and it will be updated _regularly _alongside "Backfired". So now I'm juggling 2 stories haha.. With the busy schedule, I know this is a crazy step to take, but I just love writing for this pairing so I decided to take the bold step and finally publishing this new storyline.

I'd like to thank "One Last Time Before The End" by "HeartoftheNighte" fanfic for giving me such a wonderful inspiration especially for Skye's character in particular. So, thank you so much! This story dedicated to you and your fantastic writing. :) And also for this chapter, some parts were inspired from the lovely and talented "Miss Junie"'s "Bucket and Cricket" fanfic. So thank you for the inspirations. I adore your stories so much! *hugs*

So I hope you guys will enjoy this. This fic is darker than my previous one, so if you want a lovey dovey drama for Lucket, head over to "Backfired". But if you want a more action-packed story, I hope this one satisfies your crave. And one more thing, this is an AU story so I've modified some parts from the original series. So don't get confuse, because it is intended to be different from the actual plot.

Leave me some reviews and tell me what you think! I would really appreciate that after 12 hours of sitting in front of my computer today. Thanks guys!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Terra Nova. And neither do Fox. Nor Netflix.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: First Sight<strong>

Darkness. Silence. All seemed to be tangled into one as the night began to swallow everything from the naked eye.

The sound of crushing leaves on the ground echoed through the endless rows of trees and thick foliage, creating an eerie sound among the dense vegetation of the wilderness.

His breath was heavy in his chest, exhaustion from hours of trudging through the forest etched on his features. A rugged bag slung loosely over his shoulder, and a pair of worn boots wrapped around his bare feet, concealed them from the harsh surface beneath. He was drenched in sweat, despite the cold air that pricked through the thin cotton of his dirty shirt. He didn't bother at anything, even when the thickness of the foliage scraped through his skin, adding the collection to the scars on his body.

He was on a mission, to fulfill his lifetime ambition for the sake of his mother's death. It rooted deep in him, tugging him to the very core of his existence. He had no reason to live, as his soul already buried deep alongside his mother more than a decade ago. But somehow he stayed alive until this day, watching as the time passed in front of his eyes. He wanted to die, to leave this cruel and unfair world behind. But something holding him back, as if there was still a reason for him to stay in this narrow hole called hell. He still had an unfinished business to be done. And it was to see his father on his deathbed.

He continued the hike through a narrow path on the steep hill. He just got the news that the location had been moved around the higher ground of the jungle. He knew the Sixers always did this every time to cover their trail. They had been his father's worst nightmare, as they were the rebels from the lush paradise of Terra Nova, a place full of false hopes and dreams. They had the same reason for coming to this prehistoric time fracture, and it was to overthrown the Commander from his position and stripped all the resources for the sake of money. Even though he was on their side, he had a complete different agenda in his mind. All he wanted was to see his father finally at his mercy as the price of taking his mother's life out of her. He didn't care about the money, he didn't care if the last hope on earth being destroyed, as long as he saw the opportunity, he would take it no matter what the consequences were.

He was about to take another step when he heard faint footsteps from his back. Being 5 years in the jungle had thought him to be sensitive with the surroundings. He could even sense the danger from faraway. His eyes flickered at the movement from his side. He slowly reached into his pocket, gripping the handle of the knife tightly as he prepared for a sudden attack that might happen in a matter of seconds.

He quickly turned around to find the tip of the gun already held in front of his face. He froze in his place, knowing that just a slightest move would be a fatal decision at this point. His eyes adjusted to the scenery in front of him and slowly he could see her face through the darkness.

Her stern blue eyes fixated at him. Showing no mercy as her fingers enfolded tightly around the gun in her hand. Her short-cropped locks went unruly against her delicate features, gleaming faintly from the moonlit reflection. She wore a fully equipped suit, complete with different types of weapons hanging on her belt. She looked tough, deadly, and undeniably beautiful.

At that very moment, waves of old memories flooded through his brain. And suddenly it dawned to him. It was _her…_

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><p><em>July 2142<em>

_The streets were crowded with people, jammed with a heavy humid air in a hot summer day. He was sitting in the car beside his father, looking out towards the city of Chicago among the red haze of thick pollution that hovered above the skyline. It was an important day for them, the day when everything would change in the human history. A time fracture had been discovered as a second chance for human to have a fresh start in their life in a new world full of promising future. _

_His father shifted uncomfortably beside him. He was chosen as the first volunteer to explore the new world before the settlement began. It was an honor for his father that he found it as an insult. It ached him in the inside to be called as his son. His perception about this man beside him had changed drastically after the tragic incident that happened 4 years ago in Somalia. He would never forget the horror in his mother's eyes as she was slaughtered in front of him to her death. It was still a nightmare that haunted him every night and he couldn't seem to find a way to accept it especially when he knew that his father was the cause of all the terrible things that happened to him. _

_They moved towards the outer city, leaving all the hectic surroundings behind. He could see the destination ahead of them on the horizon, a giant dome enfolded in glass structure called the Hope Plaza. It was the center of governmental research and development for the new world project. His brain started to stir as they arrived at the entrance of the dome. _

_This issue was not a surprise to him anymore, even before his father was assigned for this mission, he already knew about this whole project from the beginning. He had formed his own plan for 2 years, since the first discovery of the fracture began. Even though he was still in his young age, but his mind surpassed the average intelligence of normal people. He acted like a grown man, plunging into the real life when he was just 16. He worked as a physicist, analyzing complicated equations and somehow managed to climb himself to the top of the line in the business world. _

_He was a genius, a brilliant physicist, and a successful man. But all these qualities didn't seem to match to his father's expectations, as he always looked at him like he was a mistake, a glitch in his life that was not supposed to happen in the first place. He felt like being thrown by his own flesh and blood. He was a trash, a worthless child, nothing but a speck of dust in his father's eyes. _

_He didn't even think twice when he was accepting the offer to join the secret company that saw a different opportunity from the new world project. As long as it had a way to get his unfinished revenge to his father, he would do anything, even if it had to sacrifice everything he believed in. _

"_Lucas" Taylor's voice pulled him back to reality. "It's time" he told him without even bothered to look at his son's face. He knew better than to answer him with sarcastic words he could think of and went out of the car to join him with the crowd on the entrance of the building that was constructed inside the dome. They didn't have to use the rebreather as the dome concealed the inside from the polluted air. _

_As they entered the building, everyone greeted them with high respect and awe. Lucas felt as if he was the center of the universe as the people wanted to get their hands on him. It must've been thrilling to see the great Nathaniel Taylor's genius son. He felt sick being overshadowed by his father. And he felt sick at the look on their faces when they looked at him. _

_They went to the balcony at the top floor that had an overlooking view to the city. Lucas wandered himself along the railing, looking down to the crowd below him. A wave of disgust struck him when he knew that these people came for his father's departure to the new world. His hands gripped the handle tightly at the thought. He didn't even know why he was there, accompanying him in his big day. He should've stayed in his office, busying himself with work and endless calculations rather than being where he was at that moment. The pressure weighed him down, pushing him to the very edge of his sanity. If only this was not for the sake of the request from his employers, he wouldn't have done it for anything, especially when it came to giving his father a moral support at critical times like this._

_He heard his name being called from the distance. He gritted his teeth at the pathetic sound of his father's voice ringing in his ear before finally turning back and found Taylor already standing beside him. _

"_Lucas, I want to introduce you to Corporal Tate. He is one of the soldiers in the army division that scheduled to depart several years from now to the new world." He held out his hand reluctantly to the man in front of him. "Lucas Taylor. Nice to meet you, sir." He introduced himself, forcing a smile as he shook his hand. "I've heard about you Lucas Taylor. You're one impressive young man. A brilliant physicist in a very young age, I'm impressed." Lucas shoved his hands to his pockets. "Thank you, sir." He replied as a smirk appeared across his face. _

_He heard noises from the back as he saw a little girl running towards Corporal Tate with a wide grin on her delicate face. He smiled at the child in front of him and took her hand when she reached out him. "This is my daughter." Corporal Tate introduced her as she stepped forward and stretched her hand towards Lucas. He was stunned for a moment, looking at the little brown-haired girl in front of him. "Skye Tate. Reporting for duty." She took his hand and shook it impatiently when he was just standing there looking at her with bemused expression written all over his face. _

"_She's a fascinating girl, Tate." Commented Taylor as he smiled towards Skye who was still staring at Lucas with curiosity in her blue eyes. "What's your name, young man?" she asked, eyeing him with a stern look on her face. "Lucas" he replied shortly, unable to form any other words. This girl in front of him had managed to knock his brain to death. She didn't look like any other girls in her age. She didn't wear pretty dresses and instead wearing a cargo pants and a loose shirt. Her hair tied to a ponytail messily, with strands of locks framing her feature. She looked tough, with the same charisma like her father. She seemed confident in her own skin and didn't even shudder at the tense situation around her. _

"_Well then, nice to meet you, Lucas." Skye responded after awhile. She looked up to her father and smiled. "Dad, can I tell Mr. Taylor that I want to become a soldier one day?" She asked him with a soft tugging on the hem of his shirt. Corporal Tate shook his head in disbelief. "Well you heard that, sir. She wants to become a soldier one day." He commented on her daughter's statement. Taylor chuckled and rubbed the top of Skye's head. "Of course, kid. You can have a special training with me in the future. I promise." Without hesitation, she tackled him with a hug. "Thank you Mr. Taylor!" She shrieked with excitement at his answer and ran towards the crowd as she finished. _

"_Nice kid." Taylor eyed her with fascination from the distance as Corporal Tate dismissed himself to join Skye on the other side of the room. Lucas turned to look at him. He could see the worry in his eyes. It must be a huge burden for him to leave everything he had behind for this mission. But hell, he didn't even give a damn care about his feelings. The sooner his father left, the easier for him to finalize everything for his major plan of revenge._

_The time finally came. He saw his father gave his final speech from the balcony, giving empty hopes and noble words that seemed to be promising and assuring the people that they really had a future ahead of them. But he knew better than that. There was no bright future, just ruins of what remains in this dying world. _

_When they knew that the new world would be exploited and reduced to nothing by his employers, then they would finally see this whole project was just a fraud. _

_He saw the blue light flickered at the end of the long passage of the portal. Taylor stood in the middle of the bridge, looking back to the people for the last goodbyes. His eyes finally dawned to Lucas. Thousands of emotions poured from his gaze as he stared at him with mixed feelings swirling in his chest. They were staring at each other for a moment before he finally walking towards the blue light and disappeared. _

_Lucas stood there, watching the blue light gleamed in the dark hall. They didn't even say any words to each other before his departure. There were no emotional goodbyes, just bitterness that separated them apart like a huge wall that could never be broken. It was permanent. Nothing could ever change their situation. It was beyond repair, damaged to the very last piece as if it was being smashed to the ground. They would never be the same again. Not now, not ever._

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><p>"I know you" he murmured to her as his mind went back to reality. She still had her gun aimed at his head, ready to pull the trigger when she needed to. She lowered it slightly to get a good look at the opponent in front of her. "Who are you?" she asked in a stern voice. She didn't feel him as a threat, but somehow she knew that he was dangerous. His hard features seemed to soften when their gaze met.<p>

"You knew me." He said it simply, as if their situation didn't bother him. She aimed the gun back to his face. "Don't play with me." She muttered through her gritted teeth. This man had made her lose her patience. She knew that he was not one of the Sixers as she never saw him before in their camp. This whole detour thing they made to hide from Taylor had brought her to this situation, and she didn't want to blow her cover because of this ridiculous encounter with this stranger.

"I'm not playing with you. Now put that gun down and we can talk about this nicely." She eventually lowered the gun, but her grip on the handle tightened as he moved closer to her, eyeing her with his dark eyes. "That's better." He whispered to her as he reached out to touch her face, completely mesmerized by her presence before him. She quickly took the chance by taking his arm and pinned him to the nearest tree. He winced in pain as she pinned him harder and whispered in his ear. "I told you before. Don't play with me or you'll be sorry for the rest of your life." The words seemed to have an effect on him as he relaxed in her arms.

"I don't know that you were so tough." He scoffed at her, resulting another bump to the tree, scraping his face on the rough surface. "Say another word, and I won't be hesitate to pull the trigger on you." He found her act was quite amusing as he suddenly turned in her grasp and quickly spun her around, smashing her back against the tree. She panted heavily, eyes blazing with rage at the sight of him hovering above her. She seemed so tiny compared to him. His body pressed against her, pinning her further until she couldn't breathe.

"I know who you are." He repeated his words as his eyes gazing at her deeply. "I can't believe that you were not bluffing about your crazy decision to become a soldier." She froze as the words flowed from his mouth. "How do you know that?" She muttered at him, keeping her facial expression straight when her inside started to crumble down. Lucas smirked at her, his eyes gleaming in the faint light from the moon cascading down through the gap between the thick leaves above them.

She could see his face now. He had changed from the last time she saw him. His face etched with weariness from the hard life in the jungle and his hair had grown messy and chopped unevenly. He had stubble across his jawline, making him looked older than his actual age. His eyes still had the same jade-green spark on them, always clouded with his constantly occupied mind. She held her breath as the words slipped through her mouth before she even realized it.

"You're Taylor's son" She finally made her conclusion, and regretted immediately when she saw his face lit up with satisfaction written all over him. "It took awhile to recognize me, didn't you?" His tone was thick with sarcasm as she managed to shove him away, keeping the distance between them as far as possible.

"We thought you were dead." She stared at him, couldn't believe they would meet each other in such an unexpected way. He scoffed at her statement. "That's what dear old dad wants everybody to know. He despised his own son so much until he sacrificed everything to conceal me from the public eye." She frowned at his words. None of them made sense to her. "I don't understand." She said to him with a confused expression.

He chuckled darkly. "You don't have to understand this. It's a family business." He slowly walked towards her, eyes trained at her perfect features. "How about yourself? Why are you wandering here alone, in the middle of the night? Where's the other troop?" He tried to look pass her, pretending like he was expecting someone to jump out from the trees. "That's none of your business." She replied to him coldly. Hand still gripping at her gun tightly. He raised his eyebrows at her. "You're alone, aren't you?" There was an edge to his voice, making her shudder at the ugly thoughts that were starting to swirl inside her mind.

He chuckled at her expression and slowly reached out to trace her cheek lightly with his finger. "I never thought I would ever see you again. You're so beautiful."

She was completely paralyzed as his fingers playing against her skin, leaving her breathless as he leaned closer to her, pushing the strands of hair off her face. "I still remember how you introduced yourself that day. You took my hand without hesitation and shook it vigorously in yours." He took her free hand in his and held it tightly. "I remember you, Skye Tate. You're a fascinating young lady."

Her mind snapped back to reality as she took her hand off his and slapped him hard on the face. He was stunned by her act, but quickly regained his composure and stared at her. "Nice try." He simply said it before he shoved her to the ground and pinned her to the uneven surface. She struggled in his grip as she tried to let herself free from the pressure on the base of her neck. She threw her arm and gripped his head, crashing him to the side as he took a fistful of her short hair in his fingers, yanked her hardly until she let out a low cry of pain. They strangled to each other on the ground, both of them completely oblivious to the surroundings as they continued the assault.

There was a faint growl in the distance, getting louder by the second as they froze immediately at the familiar sound of it. "Slashers." She whispered breathily, hands still grabbing the front of his shirt. They quickly scrambled from each other and stood silently in the darkness. The sound was getting closer as their minds quickly searching for a simple solution to get away from the uninvited company.

"We have to get out of here." Lucas murmured to her. She shot him a hard stare. "We're not in this together. Go find a way yourself." She was about to leave when Lucas grabbed her waist and took her with him to the ground. "Don't move. They recognize movements faster." She tried to break away from him as he tightened his grip on her. "I said, don't move." He muttered under his breath, forcing her to look into his eyes as he spoke to her. She finally surrendered and let herself enfolded in his embrace.

They stayed on their position for a moment, waiting for any signs of the Slashers coming on their way. It was too quiet to decipher the situation, one of their abilities when it came to attacking their prey. Lucas' eyes quickly scanned through the thick plants around him, making sure the Slashers were nowhere near the area anymore. Finally he let his grip loosened on her. She jerked herself away from him immediately, brushing her suit roughly with her hand. Her lips cracked slightly from their previous fight and she brushed the blood off with her palm. He stared at her in amusement, seeing her completely distracted with her own task. He was about to give her a sarcastic comment when suddenly the Slashers burst through the trees and walking slowly towards them. Lucas automatically took Skye's hand in his and pulled her away from their direction.

They ran through the darkness of the night, stumbling several times as they tried to get away from the area as soon as possible. The Slashers were not far behind. They had to find a safe place to hide before the Slashers caught up to them. Skye could feel her lungs burned with the increasing pound in her chest as she tried to keep up with Lucas in front of her. Her mind scattered at the thought of her safety. She didn't even realized that she was following Lucas as they hiked through the steep road towards the familiar ground where she usually visited between her journey from Terra Nova to the Sixers camp.

They finally stopped to catch their breaths. The Slashers had managed to corner them into the cave beneath the falls. They sat there for awhile. None of them tried to break the silence. Their eyes scanned through the scenery in front of them, making sure the Slashers were gone for good.

Skye could feel herself tensed as she heard his voice echoed on the cave walls. "Do you know what place is this?" She held her breath before finally answered. "The Snakehead Falls."

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><p>Thank you for reading, and don't forget to hit that "review" button if you want this story to continue. See you soon! ;)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: Two Strangers

**A/N: **Before I say anything further, I'd like to thank every single one of you for the love and support to this story. The reviews, faves, and alerts are very uplifting guys, they had successfully brought a huge smile to my face. To flimmer and D, thank you so much for the lovely reviews you gave me. I'm so glad that you liked the story. It really means a lot that you guys spare your time to write them for me! *hugs*

This chapter filled with Lucket interaction, but in a suspenseful way. I like to take things slow for this one because of their situation at the moment. There's a little bit attraction between the two, but they won't take it further to the next level for now. So I hope you'll enjoy this, and I hope you'll find it refreshing, because I really love seeing Skye being tough on Lucas. It's fun to play with her character a little bit differently. ;)

So as usual, leave me some pretty reviews! They're encouraging me to continue on with the story. And a little info for "Backfired", I'm really sorry for the lateness due to this one, but I will try to update it as soon as possible. Next week is going to be my busy week, so maybe no updates up to 10th of April. Sorry guys, duty calls!

Enjoy and have a very lovely weekend! :D

**Disclaimer: **Nope. Still not mine.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Two Strangers<strong>

Skye sat on the edge of the cave, listening to the sound of water hitting the rocky bottom in the distance. Her eyes scanned through the thick layer of trees in front of her, trying to find any signs of the Slashers nearby among the darkness of the night sky.

She could feel the penetrating eyes pierced through her back, burning her skin with his intense stare. She despised it, and as much as she didn't want to be there, she had no choice but to endure the pain for being with this stranger in the middle of the night. She tried to put enough space between them, minimizing any chances of interaction by creating a personal barrier around her. Her hands stayed on either side of her waist, fiddling with the weapons on her belt, anticipating for any unpredicted moves from the unwanted company behind her.

"We have to stay here for the night." His voice cut through the eerie silence between them, resulting her grip to tighten around the knife in her hand. She heard footsteps bouncing through the walls as she could feel the warmth of his presence on her side. He sat next to her without hesitation and let his gaze wandered to the distance, mirroring what she did earlier.

"The Slashers are smart. They won't let their prey run on the loose easily. They're still somewhere out there. I can feel it." He glanced at her when he didn't receive any response from her stoic figure. She stood up and moved to the other side of the cave, keeping her distance from him. She was not in the mood for a formality conversation after what they had been through in the forest. Something in her mind told her that this man was dangerous, and she didn't want to take any risks for being too close to him. Indeed she was a trained soldier, but she knew better than to make an impulsive decision by attacking him in this critical situation. It wasn't the best option at the moment, much to her dismay, as she already felt the strong urge to beat up his face with her bare hands.

She felt as if he had already bombarded her personal space by being there, sitting across from her with his eyes trained on the distance, pretending as if their situation didn't bother him. She shifted uncomfortably at her own thought. This was more than what she asked for. Being a Sixers spy was never been easy, especially with her current position as Taylor's right hand person beside Wash. She felt grateful at some point that she earned the Commander's trust even at her young age, but another part of her was screaming in agony when she knew that she had used the advantage for her own benefit. She had every reason to say that she did the right thing. She was just trying to protect the last member of family she had left.

She knew the Commander always treated her like a daughter, and it ached her when she had no other choice but to lie in front of his face to cover her own dirty deeds. She was a monster in the inside, a person who didn't deserve to be loved. She felt worthless and fragile, broken to the very last piece of her existence. But she still had to keep it together, covering it behind her tough shell to meet everyone's high expectations on her. Her world was full with pretensions and lies. And she felt sick of it.

Now it felt even worse with his presence beside her. She didn't know why he had a strong effect on her, like a force of gravity, pulling her away from her comfort zone. She felt alarmed on every slightest move of him. Her eyes kept glancing at his direction, examining him from the distance. He seemed so calm, sitting among the rocks with his hand scratching the uneven surface beneath him.

Curiosity got the best of her when she shifted slightly to get a good look on what he was doing. He noticed this immediately as a little smile playing on his lips. Finally he caught her attention, something he had been waiting for since their arrival in the cave a few hours ago. She had been tough on him, even when he knew that she didn't ignore him completely like she intended to. He could see the way she moved, the irritated expression on her face every time he stared at her. Her mind was completely occupied by him, just like his own occupied by her.

"Feeling bored looking to the trees?" he retorted at her action, keeping himself busy with the carvings he made without even bother looking at her. Her face hardened by his accusation. "Like that's any of your business." She spat at him and turned away, unable to cope with the overwhelming tension between them.

He chuckled lowly, shifting his gaze to look at her. "I spent most of my time here, thinking, creating, calculating the equations that lead me to my future." She gave him a hard glare. "Are we making a conversation here? Because I don't see the point of you being friendly after what you did to me back there. We're not even friends, just two strangers that had an unfortunate encounter with each other."

They stared to each other for a moment. Tension filled the air as he stood up and slowly walking towards her. His eyes had a mischievous spark in them, digging her deep into the very core of her sanity. And before she knew it, she was already on her feet, shoving him hard until he fell to the ground. She tried to pin him into place, reaching for the knife on her back and held it close to his neck. She leaned down until their faces were just inches from each other. They panted heavily, straining to each other in their position. She pressed the tip of the knife deeper into his skin, eyes clouded with rage, burning like fire in the middle of the cold night. It pricked his skin and started to bleed, but he didn't flinch, letting it sinking deeper until he could feel his flesh burned with pain. He waited until she hesitated to cut him further, which she did as he felt the pressure lightened and she withdrew from him.

"Nice move." He praised her, wiping the dripping blood from his wound. "Why didn't you kill me? You could've plunged the knife further and slit my throat if you want to." She turned to look at him. "I'm not going to rip someone's life if it's not necessary. That's my oath to my duty. But I will if you try to mess with me again."

He cocked his head to the side. "You're playing with fire, Skye. Just be careful with your actions. Don't try on my patience. I'm not always at this calm state." He took a few steps forward and grabbed her chin roughly with his fingers, forcing her to look at him. "That was quite a scene you made there. As long as you know, I never had the intention to hurt you in the first place. I thought you should know about that before you made a rash decision to attack me like you did before."

She yanked herself from his grasp but he quickly grabbed her by the waist, crushing her body to his. "Just keep that in mind. Are we clear?" His jade-green eyes glinted in the darkness, hinting a dangerous mind behind his calm expression. "Crystal." She muttered to him, eyes fixated on his face as his grip loosened on her.

She pulled away from him and sat on the ground, sheathing the knife back to her belt. He took a seat beside her carefully, still keeping enough distance between them.

They sat there in silence. Both didn't care enough to break the pent-up tension that was still visible between them.

"I don't trust you." She spoke with a barely audible tone. She glanced towards him, catching the sight of him trying to hold back the retort that he intended to spill on her. His jaw clenched at her words, but he didn't give her any response in return. "I shouldn't get too close on you. You're nothing but trouble for me. And I don't want to take any chances for that."

He scoffed at her statement and raised his eyebrows at her mockingly. "Is that what you think about me?" He asked her after awhile. She turned to find his gaze already dawned on her. "What else if that was not your intention in the first place? Trying to play some twisted mind games with me? I can see it in your eyes. You can't be trusted, Lucas. You're dangerous."

The last word caught his attention. His eyes flickered towards her. She was staring at him with her stern blue eyes, challenging him to burst into anger. But he knew better than to follow what his insides were telling him and instead he moved closer to her, gazing at her face in the darkness. "You know, we can still be friends if we want to." He slowly reached out to her, running his thumb over her cheek gingerly before leaning further to give a soft whisper in her ear, making her shuddered at the sensation running down through her entire body. "Then you can judge me if I'm really dangerous to you." She fought with all her strength to pull away from him, but she found it hard to resist the lulling voice of his in her ear. He turned his gaze back on her, smiling wickedly under the moonlit reflection.

He stood up and went to the entrance of the cave. "I'm going to get some woods for fire. It's getting colder by hour. Keep an eye on the Slashers. I'll be right back." He disappeared into the darkness, leaving her alone on the cold stony floor, as if the things that happened to them earlier were nothing to him.

She wanted to scream, to wake up from the vivid nightmare and found herself in her bed, sighing in relieve that it was all just a dream. She buried her face in her hands, running her fingers through her hair frustratingly.

She was supposed to see her tonight, holding her fragile hand in hers, assuring that everything would be fine in the end. After a rough week of trying to gather as much information as she could, just to be able to see her, she didn't expect to end up in this place, with a man that was obviously exploiting her mind and soul, causing her to toss and turn in the inside.

Her hands clenched into fists as she saw him approaching from the distance, loads of thin woods held tightly in his arms. A smug smile appeared on his face as he saw her still sitting on the same spot, waiting for him. "Didn't try to make an attempt to escape, Skye?" he asked her with a mocking tone in his voice. She gritted her teeth at his words. It was never part of her plan to be in this wretched place with him, and she had to show him how much she hated the situation they were in at that moment.

"I knew better than to risk my life out there, Lucas. You know as well as I do that we're stuck in this area for the whole night. It'll be safer to continue the journey in the morning." She took the pile of woods roughly from his grasp and settled it on the ground, unwilling to continue their conversation further.

"Not bad, soldier. You know about the jungle better than I thought." She glared at him coldly before kneeling down in front of the pile, rubbing the woods together to start the fire.

They huddled around the warmth emanated from the fire, both drowning in their own thoughts as they watched it crackled against the burning woods. Skye's gaze wandered to the cave wall, examining the faint gold carvings etched on its surface. She always admired the delicate work of the lines and shapes even though she couldn't decipher the meanings of them. She could spend hours lying on the ground, marveling the mystery of it, without even bothered to leave the place when she was engulfing herself to the complications of the drawings around her. But that night had changed her perception about this place. And it was all because of him.

"Admiring the work, Skye?" his voice broke her state of trance. She stared at him for a moment before focusing herself back to her previous activity. "You know it took me weeks to make those carvings perfectly etched on the walls. It's not easy when you didn't have the right tools to scrape the hard surface. But it's quite a masterpiece, isn't it?"

His words successfully dragged her attention to him. "You made them?" She asked him incredulously. He raised his eyebrows at her questioningly. "You don't believe me?" She scoffed at him, crossing her arms on her chest. "No." She simply answered before leaning herself to the wall. "But thanks to you, none of them amused me anymore."

"Those are equations." He told her, ignoring her offensive comment and instead continuing the words from where he left off. "It's my lifetime work. My ambition. My future." He seemed to be deep in his own thoughts as he kept his eyes on the blazing fire in front of him. "I made them to taunt my father, to tell him that I'm heading towards the final conclusion. I can imagine him seeing these with horror written all over his face. He must've been so proud of his son. Seeing him finally succeed at his own attempt. Taylor's missing son, finally proving himself that he was worthy." His face hardened by his own words that were flowing swiftly from his mouth.

Skye stared blankly at him as millions of questions started to swirl in her mind. She began to question his disappearance and how Taylor always avoided the conversation regarding his son. He always told her the same thing every time they touched the subject. He said that Lucas was missing and presumed to be dead. That was all she got, and now she doubted if Taylor was telling the truth. She didn't want to trust Lucas, but somehow she could see the sincerity behind his poisonous words.

She wanted to ask him further, but before she could even react to his statement, he cut her off by staring back at her with a hard glare. His mood had changed in an instant. She could see it in his eyes. He was not the same person anymore. There was a sense of lunacy in his stare, resulting a sudden shiver running down her spine.

"I bet he never told you about this, didn't he? It must be a surprise to you that I'm still here. I'm not dead, Skye. The blood is still pumping through my veins. I'm still breathing. I'm not going anywhere, not without getting my hands on him first before I die. He was the cause of all this to happen. It was all his fault!"

She quickly stood up and held a gun in front of his face. "You're crazy, Lucas! What had he done to you that make you hate him so much? You're a sick person. And you don't even realize that you're already driven by your sick ambition to get your revenge on him. What kind of a person are you to have that thought in your screwed up mind?"

His head shot up at her with an intense glare. And before she knew it, he had stood up and yanked the gun off from her hands, throwing it hardly on the stone floor. "I told you before to get those damn weapons away from me!" he yelled at her. "I don't want to hurt you, Skye, I really do. But you're testing up my patience quite enough. You don't know anything about me. So don't try to judge my decision for my father. He deserved to be punished for the things he had done in the past. What he did was unforgivable. That's why I won't be hesitate to send him to his deathbed soon enough. After I finished my final calculations, everything will fall into place. And finally I can leave in peace for as long as I can remember."

Skye stared at him in horror. She had underestimated him. She thought she had figured the man in front of her, and yet she knew nothing about him. She suppressed the fear when she found herself blurting out the question that had been swirling in her mind. "What calculations, Lucas?" She whispered to him, hands clenching into fists when he leaned closer to her, pushing her further to the cave wall. She found his lips hovering above her ear, resulting a sudden shiver rippled through her body as the words slipped through his lips. "You'll see." He murmured huskily before shifted his gaze back at her.

He kept a close distance to her, trapping her between his arms. She cringed in her position, her walls crumbling down at the sight of his intense jade eyes piercing through her. "Are you scared?" he asked her after a long stretch of silence between them. His eyes filled with concern as she stared blankly at him, unable to form any words in her scattered mind. He moved his hands to cup her face gingerly and slowly leaning his forehead against hers. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

She suddenly found her strength back, pushing him away from her. "Don't touch me." She snapped at him weakly. There was a flash of disappointment in his eyes at her rejection to his touch.

"How can you trust me that easily?" She muttered to him shakily. "We just met, Lucas. Why are you sharing this vile secret of yours to me? I don't understand."

He stared at her for a moment, before finally answering her question. "Because I know _you_, Skye." Her breath caught in her chest as he spoke. There was a threat in his voice, as if he could read her like an open book. He always had two steps ahead of her, leaving her with nothing but dread and confusion.

"You're the spy." He concluded his statement, smirking slightly at her bemused expression. "Only a few people know how to reach the Sixers camp, and I know the civilized Terra Novans won't be able to find it if they don't have a good knowledge about the location." He took a few steps towards her, lifting her chin softly with his fingers. "Don't worry. We can keep this just for the two of us. It'll be like our own little secret." A mischievous smile appeared on his face as he left her standing alone with mixed up emotions stirring in her chest.

She wanted to scream, telling him that he was wrong. But the words caught in her throat when she knew there was no way she could go further from this point. It was a dead end. She had let herself tangled in his trap, and she couldn't do anything but to accept the ugly truth in front of her, waiting impatiently to swallow her deeper into the darkness.

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><p>So much drama, so much secrets. It gives me a headache. But I love it! haha.. 'Til next time!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: Private Tate

**A/N: **So now that I get 2 weeks break from uni, I have plenty of time to make new updates on my stories.

I'm going to take a mini-hiatus for this one because I'll be focusing more on my other story for awhile. But don't worry, I'll be back in 2 weeks once I feel satisfied with my updates for _**Backfired.**_

This chapter revolves around Skye and her dilemma for living a double life as a soldier and a Sixers spy. There's a little flashback to the past when she had her first encounter with the Sixers to deliver her mother to their camp. I figured all of us have been thinking about how she had managed to sneak her mother off from Terra Nova and it had been up in my mind for quite some time. So I decided to give a little of my imagination on how she became the spy in the first place. There's also a little action in the end of this chapter, describing how she reacted to her duties as a soldier and I tried to corporate the idea with the arrival of the 10th pilgrimage to support her action. It has a little twist and slightly different from the original series as Skye involves in it. So don't expect such accuracy because it is intended to be an AU story.

And as usual, leave your reviews to share your thoughts about this chapter. I really do need them to boost up my pace on the updates and also they are encouraging me in so many ways to keep writing for this story. So to all the lovely reviews, many thanks and love you all! I couldn't have done it without your continuous support! :)

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Terra Nova. No copyrights and infringement intended.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Private Tate<strong>

_2 years ago_

_Pearls of sweat beaded on her forehead as she dashed through the density of the jungle. Her hands gripped tightly on the steering wheel, pupils dilated with fear as she trudged the rough road in front of her._

_She was only 14, vulnerable and misunderstood in so many ways. Her desire was incomparable to the other teenagers in her age. Her pledge to serve as a soldier was revolutionary. She was determined, to one day became a noble person just like her father. He was a role model to her, and nothing could ever change her mind once she set it to her own will. _

_She was tough and headstrong, but beneath all the hard walls around her, she was just an ordinary girl, who wanted to fit in with the crowd. Her decision had blocked her from the outer world. She became the outcast, the one who always received a skeptical look from everyone's eyes. She was alone, not even a friend to be a shoulder to cry on. All she had was herself, and her family. _

_She thought she had everything, but then the wave of misery came knocking on her door. It didn't wait to be answered, bursting through without hesitation and washed out all of her precious possessions as it went. She lost her grip to the promising hope and the bright future. Everything became a blur in her eyes as she saw him lying hopelessly on the bed, waiting for death to take him over. "Be strong." That was the last word he spoke to her before he closed his eyes for eternity, and it became the one she held tightly for her dear life. _

_The battle had just begun. Even with a beat up soul and a dying faith, she was able to stand up on her feet and held her head high. She had to be the one her father wanted her to be. And there she was, holding the last piece of fragile hope in her arms. She would do anything to prevent it from being torn apart by the harsh life around her. She took the risk that no one had gone through before. With only an early stage of training and a minimal amount of experience, she dared herself to step out from her comfort zone and stumbled upon a rash decision she made on her own. She had no other choice as no one ever cared for her. Even when she snuck out to take one of the engines, nobody took a slight glance at her. It could be her advantage, but also her worst nightmare. Being underestimated wasn't a gift, and she had to prove that she was more capable that she seemed. _

_Another hit crashing to the rear side of the rover, snapping her mind back to reality. She heard the soft moan from the passenger seat and as quick as a lightning her head turned to the direction of the voice with a hurt expression etched on her features. _

"_Hold on, mom. You're going to make it." She whispered to her weakly. Tears pricking her eyes as she caught the frail look on the figure beside her. "We're almost there." She assured her even though she doubted her words were convincing. She focused herself back on the road, quickly rubbing the tears away from her eyes and prayed that this was not just some delusional act she made to compensate the lost of her father. _

_Slowly, she could see a dim light in the distance, inviting her to think that she was near. The glow turned brighter as she moved closer and her heart began to race in her chest at the sight of it. She stopped the rover and took a deep breath. The scenery in front of her had turned visible in the darkness of the night. Rows of figures loomed in the faint light of the torches in their hands, waiting for her to make a move. She shifted slightly from her seat and opened the door, letting her feet hit the damp soil beneath her in a mute thud. She let herself revealed by the firelight, showing her adolescent feature before them. _

_One of them took a few steps towards her. His face was menacing. There was no trace of kindness in his eyes as he shot her a stern glare, merciless and cold in the gleam of the torch in his grasp, an obvious contrast that he was not as warm as the emanated heat from the fire. Her hands clenched into fists as he lowered his gaze until their faces were just inches from each other. She had to look tough. This was all she wanted. She had chosen the path, and she couldn't take a step back from it. It was her consequence, and she had to swallow the guilt and regret through her dried throat. She had to face this with all her strengths. She might be young, but she knew how to be responsible. She won't even let the fear visible for the set of eyes in front of her._

"_Where is she?" his voice was hoarse in her ear, tearing her dignity apart as she kept her face stoic. "The rover." She replied to him coldly. He gave her a frivolous smile, as if what she did was just a stupid joke and that she was stupid enough to fall for this. Maybe she was, but she didn't care. She had to take the risk. Her rational thoughts had been distorted and she didn't know which one was right or wrong anymore. As long as she saw the opportunity, she would be determined to pursue it, for the sake of the one she loved. _

_He turned away from her and signaled the others to open the other side of the rover. She took a glance of them opening the door, taking her fragile body out and laid her on the stretcher. She rushed to her obliviously. For a moment she was lost in her own world as she reached out to hold her hand and squeezed it tightly. But it didn't last forever as she felt a hard yank on her left arm, pulling her away harshly until she stumbled to the ground. She tried to stand on her feet but then a set of strong arms gripping tightly on her body, holding her into place as she thrashing and screaming to the top of her lungs, trying to let herself free from the painful strain pinching through her flesh. _

_Skye could feel her body being lifted up and forced to move forward. The stretcher was far from her reach and she tried to reach it with the remnants of her strength. But the arms around her were too strong, yanking her back in place every time she made an effort to move on her own will. She began to feel that she had made the wrong choice. It would only tearing her apart even more rather than patching her back together. But it was too late to turn back now, because she had chosen to play with the fire. _

_She tried to move again, yanking herself as hardly as she could. The least she could get was a respect, which would never be fulfilled when she realized who was the opponent she chose to fight with. She was no game to them, just a vulnerable little girl who easily fell into their trap. She moved again and this time she got to taste the bitter life literally in her mouth. A wave of pain surged through her as she felt a hard fist locked with her jaw. She could feel the blood trickled from the corner of her cracked lips and she let out a sharp cry of pain. Her feet went limp and she felt dizzy at the aftermath of the attack, paralyzing her completely as she involuntarily surrendered to the arms around her and let herself being dragged away. _

_The minutes passed like a blur and when she opened her eyes, she was already in a wide room with lots of open space around it. She could feel the cold breeze rustling through the leaves that peeked through the glassless windows. As soon as she regained her consciousness, she called for her, eyes searching frantically for her figure but all she found was wooden walls and thick foliage that seemed to be abnormally close. She tried to move her body and quickly realized that she was strapped onto one of the planks that held the structure together. _

_She yelled, screamed, and moved frantically to get herself free from the straining straps that were securing her neatly into place. Her hand reached to the belt on her waist, trying to find the knife that she was sure as hell it had been there a moment ago. She hit her head to the plank behind her, letting herself felt the throbbing pain when it dawned to her that her weapons must've been confiscated along the way to this dreadful place. _

_She heard footsteps from her side and she held her breath as she felt the heavy presence intruding her personal space. She looked up to see the tall female figure from the faint light of the lantern on the corner of the room. She looked strong, heavily suited in leather garments on her body while her hair braided tightly on her back. There was a tribal feel in her, masculine with the authority that was visible on her ruthless face. _

"_We've made a deal." The woman went straightly to the point as she bent down to her knees and stared at her accusingly. "Where's the intel?" She asked, her voice thick with anticipation. Skye glared back at her, tears pouring down uncontrollably as she spoke. "Where is she? You promised you would take care of her. I want to see her." She cringed in place as the woman's hand suddenly crashed to the base of her neck. "I don't have time for playing around, Private. Now give me the intel." Her voice was low and threatening as she tightened her grip, leaving Skye gasping for air to keep herself alive._

"_Let. Me. See. Her. First.." she managed to let out staggered words when she felt the grip getting tighter and she began to see sparks in her eyes as the oxygen drained from her body. She coughed hardly as the grip released from her and sucked the air hungrily to fill her lungs. "You get your wish this time, Private. Make it quick, and let us finish this business as clean as we can." She took the knife from her cargo pants and cut the strap in one go. Skye quickly scrambled to her feet, keeping her distance from the woman in front of her as far as possible. And before she knew it, she was already under the grip of two figures on either side, dragging her towards the door. _

_They led her towards another room. It was smaller than the first and then she saw her, lying hopelessly on the rusty bed in the dim light of the small candle beside her. "Mom.." she took a few steps before kneeling down on the side of the bed, dampened the sheet with her overflowing tears. The whole deal had shaken her badly and she couldn't help herself from breaking apart because of it. "Bucket.." her frail voice beaming in Skye's ear. "Have they started on your treatment, already?" She gave her a slight nod. Skye let out a sigh of relief, realizing that they eventually had kept their promise. _

"_I'm sorry I have to drag you into this place. But I don't have any other choice. I don't want to lose you, mom. Promise me you'll survive." She nodded tentatively and reached out to touch Skye's face with her bony fingers. "You're a strong girl. And I'm proud of you. Your father would've been proud as well." The last word hit her hard as tears welling from her eyes. She didn't tell her that it took a high price to be able to get into this stage. She was now a traitor, and she knew a double life was the hardest part from this whole deal with these filthy people. She had become one of them in some ways, standing on the gray line between the two opposite sides. She didn't know what the future might be, but at least for now she felt as if she'd done the right thing. _

"_Your time is up." She heard that hoarse voice again from her back before being pulled away from her position. She began to scream again, realizing it might be the last time she saw her. The scenery slowly faded away as she closed her eyes, letting herself being engulfed by the pain and sank deeper into her oblivion. And then everything went black._

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><p>Skye opened her eyes wildly and was quickly being blinded by the light shone through the cave entrance. She sat up gingerly, feeling her whole body trembled from the vivid nightmare of her past. It had been awhile since the last time she'd dreamt about her first encounter with the Sixers. She took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh, slowly gathering her scattered mind and suddenly with one quick realization, she stood on her feet and spun around, looking for the unwanted company that she had somehow successfully endured through the night.<p>

She found the whole space was empty and a small twinge of disappointment harboring on her chest. He was gone, and the only chance to unravel the truth about him vanished to the thin air. She reached out to her belt and found that all of her weapons were intact securely in their positions. She couldn't believe that he was actually telling her the truth about his vow to keep her unharmed. She shoved her hand to her pocket and found the small device was still occupying the space, feeling a huge dread weighing her down when she realized that she had not be able to deliver it to the Sixers. 'No medicines for the whole week' she thought to herself as guilt started to swirl around her.

She shook the dreadful feelings away and made her way out from the cave towards the beautiful morning light. Her mind was instantly occupied by the fear as she noticed the sun was already high in the sky. She sprinted through the forest, dodging the thick foliage and let it scraped through her skin. Her heart was racing in her chest as sweat started to appear on the edge of her hairline.

She made a silent prayer, hoping that this unlikely incident wouldn't be the one to blow her cover. She needed the treacherous double life to keep her mother alive. She couldn't lose it because of this. Not now, not ever. Not until she was completely recovered from the sickness that had been haunting her for 2 years. But with the slow and irregular treatment, she doubted it would be a short period of time. The medicine that given to her mother had to be paid constantly with the intel from Terra Nova. Without it, the treaty was invalid. Their crooked hearts were hard as stone, unable to be moved by the internal conscience. It was hopeless. The only thing she could do was to continue on this endless game of balancing the two lives she had.

She saw the destination in front of her and without hesitation she quickly slipped between the wooden bars that seemed to be perfectly fit for her body. She crouched on the ground, scanning through her surroundings and making sure that the area was clear before she took another sprint towards the main road. She held her breath as she walked silently along the street, keeping her face straight to erase the last trace of her weariness from the long and sleepless night in the jungle.

She was about to make a turn around the corner when she felt a warm hand landed on her shoulder. She spun around in an instant, startled by the brief touch from the man behind her.

"Good morning, Private Tate. Having a good sleep last night?" A wide smirk appeared across his face, satisfied by the attempt to surprise her. "That's not funny, Mark." She huffed in exasperation and gave a hard nudge on his shoulder. "Hey, you don't seem to be in a good mood today. After you get a day off and the result is this? Try staying up for the whole night on the gate tower. And you'll know how I feel." She narrowed her eyes at him skeptically. "I've been there before. And yes, to be frank it was quite unpleasant." He laughed at her statement, resulting a slight smile on her face. "See, that's better. I like it when you smile. The whole world seems to be a pleasant place to live when you do that." She rolled her eyes at him. "Shut up." She turned away from him, hiding an obvious blush on her face.

Since she joined the army, Mark was the only person that thought her decision was quite amusing. They became more than an acquaintance to each other when she earned the position in the internal division that was being directly under the Commander's supervision. They were constantly working together and becoming good friends along the way. He was like a family to her beside Taylor who had adopted her last year and also Wash, who had been filling in as a mother figure. They were her new family since she sent her mother away to the Sixers camp, and it had given her a new strength everyday, encouraging her to keep moving forward no matter how hard the life might be.

She felt Mark's arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. She was used to this kind of gesture. It was warm and had a brotherly feel to it. "We have to get ready. The 10th pilgrimage will be arriving this afternoon. Taylor would like to have a little briefing before we proceed to the location. Are you ready for this?" She looked up to find him smiling encouragingly at her. She nodded in approval, feeling the excitement started to fuel her again. It was one of her dreams to be able to join the most prestigious group of army in the colony and after 2 years of hard work, she finally reaped the result.

They walked side by side towards the Command Center. Skye could see a large amount of soldiers had gathered around the open space in the front of the building. A few moments later they joined Taylor and Wash, who seemed to be in a serious conversation with each other. Taylor's focus shifted to Mark and Skye as he noticed their arrival.

"Reynolds, Tate. Glad to have you both here. We have to prepare all of the equipment we need for the pilgrims operation. Reynolds, you take control of the rovers, make sure they're in a good condition. And Tate, you're staying with me the whole time. I need you to keep an eye on the pilgrims and escort them to the safe ground when they arrive." Mark gave him a nod and made his way to the rovers that were already being prepared for the journey. He took a glance at Skye and smiled at her before he joined the rest of the soldiers in the distance.

"Are you nervous?" Taylor asked her after a brief silence between them. Skye turned to look at him and shook her head. "I never feel this excited in my whole life. Thank you, Taylor. For everything." She reached out to hold his arm, squeezing it tentatively to show how grateful she was to be in her position at the moment.

A flash of memory from the previous night started to occupy her mind as she studied his expression. The answer to her questions had not yet being revealed. But she quickly pushed the thought away as he smiled to her in return and patted her head softly. "It's the least I can do for you, kid. And I'm proud on how you've matured for the past two years. I know it's not easy for you to face the lost of your parents in such a young age. But you've managed to surpass the problem and become who you're now. A strong young lady with big visions in her mind."

Skye bowed her head, suppressing the heavy boulder on her chest. She couldn't stand seeing the awe expression in his eyes. It was too painful to endure the constant praise from him. If only he knew what she had done to him, things would never be the same again.

After the final preparation, they slowly marched towards the main gate. Skye sat silently beside Taylor in their rover, looking to the forest in the distance as the wooden bars slowly giving the access for the vehicles to move to the other side of the gate. Wash's voice crackled through the speaker, giving him an overall report for their current position. The rovers hit the clearing and made their way into the jungle.

The journey took about an hour before they reached the destination. The rovers stopped 2 clicks away from the portal area and they continued the journey on foot for about 20 minutes. Skye remembered back in the day when she first arrived with the 5th pilgrimage. She marveled the greenery around her as she stepped through from the portal. She could feel the same warm breeze rushing through her, the heat of the sun on her face. It felt like a paradise beyond her imagination. And now she was there, standing in the front of the portal once again, but this time she was on a mission, to finally being able to serve for the people she loved. This was the purpose of her life, and she was more than happy and honored to be there.

Taylor stood beside her, a small communicator held in his hand. He had a brief conversation to the unfamiliar voice on the other side that she assumed to be the crew from Hope Plaza in the future. "They're ready." He announced, patting Skye's shoulder firmly, letting her know to prepare herself. She took the gun from her belt and held it securely to the portal, anticipating for the worse scenario that could happen during this process. The other soldiers stayed on their positions, waiting for the blue light to appear on the crescent-shaped portal.

As Taylor confirmed the situation was under control, the faint blue light started to flicker within the hollow space of the structure. Skye held her breath absentmindedly, anticipating for the next thing to come. She could see the light rippled in a spreading motion and before she knew it, she saw them, one by one, appearing through the portal. She quickly took the charge, leading them away from the portal area and inserting their information to the database. The whole experience overwhelmed her. She felt grateful for this, even when the little voice inside her screaming for all the betrayals she'd done to her people.

When she came back to the portal, the whole area had turned into chaos. Soldiers had formed a half circle around the portal with the guns trained into one direction. She found a way between them to see the source of the problem and she could see it, among the crowd, there were 4 people, cornered on the ground with a large backpack in their grasp. "Tate!" Taylor's voice caught her attention. "Check the backpack." She took a little sprint and kneeled in front of the 4 pilgrims. "Sir, I need you to hand in the backpack to me." She spoke to one of them, reaching out to take the backpack away from his grasp.

The next thing was beyond her expectation. He shoved the backpack further to the other pilgrims behind him and took a gun out from his pocket. "He brought a gun!" Taylor yelled behind her and she found herself strangled with this man, reaching for the gun in his hand. It wasn't as easy as she thought it would be when suddenly it dawned to her that he must've received a proper training to be able to deflect her attack. He somehow managed to hold then gun firmly in his hand, shoving it under his body as she pinned him to the ground.

She could hear the screaming and crying on the background and for a second she lost her focus. He eventually took the opportunity to break away from her. She stumbled to the ground as he tried to make an attempt to escape. She took the gun absentmindedly from her belt and aimed it at his direction. "Give me your gun, sir! I don't want to do this!" She yelled at him.

"Wait!" Taylor gave her a hold signal when he saw the content of the backpack. There was a brief silence within the area as the truth was being revealed. It took awhile for Taylor to adjust with the situation before he instructed Skye to escort the pilgrims out from the location. "Stay with them at all times. I'm going to make a further investigation for this." Skye nodded approvingly and before she left, Taylor rested his hand on her shoulder. "That was a brave thing you did there. I didn't expect you to lunge yourself at him. But you've managed to take control on the situation. I know that I can count on you." He gave a warm smile that made her heart sank with the overridden guilt weighing her down.

She smiled at him bitterly, bowing her head to avoid his intense gaze at her. She might look like a noble soldier from the outside, a brave young woman who pledged her life to serve the others when the truth was she had turned her back on them, guiding them towards the destruction because of her selfishness. She wanted to run away, hiding herself from the outer world. But the reality struck her with a difficult decision that strangled her with its poisonous thorns. And she didn't know how to escape from it.

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><p>I felt bad that I didn't include Lucas in this chapter. But I figured this was necessary to be written as I've developed Skye's character in a different direction. Anyway, thank you so much for reading this and see you soon! ;)<p> 


	4. Chapter 4: Fair Trade

**A/N: **Finally, after a mini-hiatus that had lasted longer than I planned, I've managed to get this chapter done.

Firstly I have to apologize due to the lateness for this one. But thank you so much for giving your patience to wait for this, and as I felt guilty that I've been abandoning this for more than 2 weeks, I gave you this long chapter to quench your thirst for this story.

I'm not going to babble much for this, but I think I should tell you a couple of things before I wrap this up. First, I just want to let you all know that I'm still continuing this story, so don't give up on me, because I love this story so much I will never let it slips off from my hands. Second, a mini-hiatus is required for this one (I'm sorry guys) because I want to focus myself on _**Backfired **_first as I feel it had almost been 3 months since I started the story and I want to get it done as fast as I can before holiday comes. I'll be leaving from June to July and there will be no updates for me for the whole month. It won't be finished for sure though, as final assessments from uni will be occupying my time but at least I've tried.

So, that's all from me, guys. Please leave me your reviews because as always I'd love to know what you think about it. I will appreciate your effort because the battle with the modem for my internet was not easy. I was literally restarting the device 10 times to get this uploaded. So, make me happy and drop me some nice reviews. Let me know that you're still supporting this story and I'll be the happiest girl on earth if you do that. Thank you so much and love you all!

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Terra Nova and the characters.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Fair Trade<strong>

As the sky went dark, her body sank into the shadow casted down from the rows of buildings around her. With one swift move, she slipped between the wooden bars of the border between civilization and wilderness, trudging herself through the sticky soil beneath her feet towards the density of the jungle.

It was her life, the explicit nightmare that haunted her for as long as she could remember. She was born for this, to be the odd one out from the crowd, to be different. She had never questioned this until now, as she dragged her feet through the roughness of the nature, her mind started to stir, thinking of why she had plunged herself into this endless hole of betrayal and misery.

The answer was quite simple. She needed this. Despite the horrible look on the outer skin, she needed this. It was the only life she had, and she wouldn't change it with anything, even if she wanted to.

The little object in her pocket felt heavier by the second as she pushed her way through the thick foliage and narrow spaces between the trees, closing her distance to the destination in front of her without any doubtful thoughts and uncertainties hanging on her chest. She held her head up high despite the shivers she felt springing down her spine.

She had to do this. It was her only choice to keep her mother alive. Her lack of cooperation would only lead her towards jeopardy. Even if she had to get the bitter aftertaste on this encounter, she didn't care. As long as she could hold the tiny shred of happiness in her hands, she would do anything just to feel its warmth emanated through her entire body, making her believe that there was still a chance to turn the situation around, there was still a chance for a better life, and a better future.

She stood stiffly on the ground, clenching her hands into fists as she looked up and saw the eerie light cascading through the leaves above her. She was startled by the grip on her shoulder, forcing her to look into the set of dark eyes in front of her. Her grip tightened as they traded a silent conversation to each other, making her way to a ragged wooden stairs on the base of the tree and hoisted her body up to the hidden shelter among the thick layers of vegetation that acted as a shield to conceal it from the naked eye.

Her boots made a silent thump on the wooden floor, marking her arrival in the most blatant way as possible. "You're late." A familiar voice came from behind her, scraping her violently in the inside until she wanted to scream. She spun around, finding his dark eyes staring deeply into her soul, trying to find a trace of fear beneath her stoic expression. "I'm here now, am I?" she replied to him coldly.

He gave her a wry smile and extended his hand towards her, asking for the only purpose of her to come into the enemy's domain. She reluctantly shoved her hand into her pocket, grabbing the tiny object in her fist and took it out slowly. She pinched it between her fingers before putting it roughly in his palm. Her eyes didn't leave his as she did this, showing she had no fear for his threat, even if she had it inside her all along. He chuckled darkly and fiddled the object with his dirty fingers, pushing her to the edge of her patience.

"Where is she?" she demanded, crossing her arms across her chest as she spoke. He raised his eyebrows, teasing her with his wicked smile. "Where is she, Carter?" She was starting to losing up her patience. Her hand settled firmly on her belt, gripping the knife tightly in her grasp, making a mental note that she would not hesitate if she had to put her impulsive act on him.

"Relax, Skye." He replied, raising his hands lazily at her. "You'll get what you want. But you can't get away with the absence you made last week. You know the deal, Skye. No pain, no gain." Her eyes dilated with rage as she grabbed a fistful of his front shirt, pulling her knife and pressed it firmly to his neck. "Just let me see her, you bastard. I don't give a damn care to your pity threat, Carter. It's useless." He swallowed hard as she pressed the side of the blade tighter to his skin. "Where is she?" She muttered through her gritted teeth, feeling sick and tired with the twisted game she had been playing for the last 2 years of her hollow life. "You'll be sorry for this, Skye. You can keep my word on that." He whispered to her before she released her grip on him. "Just let me see her." She chided.

* * *

><p>He stood in front of the entrance of her room with a blanket in his hand. His eyes fixed firmly at her fragile body as his mind wandered to the last conversation he had with Mira.<p>

"_So, the spy, you never told me it was her." he said it casually as he sat on one of the ragged chairs on the corner of the room, fiddling with his gloves lazily while his gaze never left her stiff figure before him. _

"_You know her?" asked Mira as she tried to read Lucas' grim expression. He twisted his lips into a smirk, answering her futile question with his complacent gesture. "Let's just say, we had a little history." He concluded his statement, closing the chance for her to ask him further questions._

"_What do you want from her, Lucas? She's our spy. I don't want to risk the chance of losing her just yet." He chuckled darkly, hinting that he thought she was being ridiculous with her overprotectiveness towards her little precious pawn. Maybe she had grown fond of her more than she thought. He could see it right through her as she folded her arms across her chest, trying to convince him that she had not changed her mind yet for Skye._

"_Don't worry. I'm sure she'll understand. I just need a little persuasion that would give her a mental boost to fulfill my request." _

_Mira took a few steps towards him, leaving their gap just a few inches from each other. "Listen to me, if you failed, you would pay the price for losing the most valuable piece of source we have in this entire colony." _

_He scoffed at her, raising his eyebrows challengingly as he spoke. "You don't trust me? Remember the little detail, Mira. You work for me, and I'm in charge. So whatever you do, you're still under my supervision."_

_He took a step back and spread his arms, giving her a mocking smile. "My house, my rules." He remarked, turning around to grab his satchel and took out a blanket in his hand._

"_Where is she?" he asked her. "I need some arrangements to do before our spy arrives."_

_Her expression darkened at his words. "She's not your spy, Lucas." He quickly lifted his hand, glaring at her before she could finish her sentence. "I've got things to do. Don't waste my time with your nonsense, Mira. Now, where is she?"_

_She narrowed her eyes before walking straight to him, bumping her shoulder to his as she passed him and led the way to a small room on the other side of the camp. She stopped as they arrived at the entrance that was covered by a thin fabric, blocking the view behind its rough texture. _

"_I hope you know what you're doing Lucas. Don't screw this up." Her voice filled with accusation and skepticism towards his unspoken plan. He flickered his gaze at her, smiling frivolously as he folded the warm blanket in his hands. _

"_I might need some privacy for awhile." He informed her nonchalantly, glancing at her slightly as he spoke. "Send her in immediately when she comes. We're going to have a little chat with each other." _

_Mira held his shoulder tightly in her grasp, yanking him hard and looked straightly into his eyes. "Just keep in mind, Lucas." She warned him vehemently. "We need her." _

_His chuckle rumbled deeply in his throat. "Don't worry, a little game wouldn't hurt anything." He replied slyly, watching her retreated from him with a disgust look in her eyes as she slowly disappeared into the darkness._

His mind snapped back into reality as he moved his feet towards the frail figure in front of him, taking a small chair and settled it gently beside the bed. He spread the blanket across her body and she opened her eyes weakly at the soft touch of the fabric on her skin, looking straightly at him as creases of confusion formed on her forehead.

He smiled at her, taking the chance to greet her as he reached out to squeeze her bony arm in his hand. "Hi." He whispered to her, shifting his position slightly to face her. "I probably should introduce myself first. I'm Lucas."

She opened her mouth, wanting to introduce herself to him but her throat felt dry and coarse, leaving her with a breathy whisper as she spoke. Lucas gave a smile in return, nodded tentatively as he touched the blanket with his fingertips. "I understand. Mira told me everything about you. It's nice to finally meet you, Deb."

She closed her eyes as he tucked the blanket further to her neck. "You must be cold." He murmured, staring sympathetically at her as she managed to open her eyelids slightly, weariness etched deeply on her features. For a moment he caught a slight glimpse of Skye's face as he gazed into her clouded blue eyes, sending spasms through his entire body. He quickly recovered from his sudden state of trance, clearing his throat before he spoke. "Actually, I came here to talk to you. About your daughter."

Her eyes lit up as the words slipped through his mouth. "Bucket.." She whispered breathily, eyes gazing to the distance as if she had lost in her own world. Lucas frowned at her change of behavior but decided to play along. His plan seemed to work smoothly at her. He didn't expect her to trust him so quickly. Maybe her sickness had affected her more than he thought, and it made him realize how convenient the situation was for him to make a move on his plan. He had chosen the perfect time and the perfect place, and he felt a wave of satisfaction flooded through him as he turned his focus back on her.

"Yes.." he finally replied after a brief silence between them, reaching below the blanket to take her hand in his. "Listen Deb, I want us to be friends." He told her, smiling occasionally to show his sincerity. "You can tell me anything you want. And don't be afraid to share your secrets with me. We can keep it just for the two of us. I promise."

Before she could give her response to him, he heard a rustling sound from his back, pulling his attention immediately to the expected visitor behind him. His mouth twisted into a smirk as he slowly turned around and found her, standing stiffly on the entrance of the room with bewildered expression written all over her face.

* * *

><p>Skye walked silently behind Carter as he led her through the narrow passages of the camp, glaring hardly on his back as they moved in an excruciating pace.<p>

Her heart pounded erratically in her chest. Even though she had done this million times before, she could never forget the day when she first came to this desolated place, bringing nothing but her broken dignity and disgrace. The nightmare of her first encounter with these people had been haunting her since she had an unexpected reunion with Lucas. There was something in him that had resurrected the darkness of her past to the surface, swallowing her back into the agonizing sorrow that had been buried deep inside her.

He had somehow managed to dig into her, tearing her apart with his empty threat and mischievousness. His green eyes sparked with the manic soul he had in the inside, hinting that he was not just an ordinary figure that could be unraveled easily.

She could still feel the shivers running down her veins every time she remembered how deep his eyes were. He was always calculating, as if his entire life had been built upon his own isolated world. He was lunacy, and she didn't have to observe that aspect any further as it had emanated from him without any shades of doubt.

She didn't know if she wanted to see him again, but she couldn't deny the curiosity she had for him since she woke up alone in the cave that morning. He left her with so many unanswered questions that kept her awake through the night. For many days she caught herself wandered her thoughts to him and she couldn't seem to get away from his overpowering shadow that engulfed her thoroughly until she didn't have any more space for her rationality to take over her mind.

He had consumed her, completely and utterly kneeling her before him with his dark presence. He embedded himself in her after just one encounter, and she couldn't seem to afford getting to see him for the second time if she had the chance.

She quickly recollected her thoughts when she saw her destination was just a few steps away. She was about to walk pass Carter when he suddenly stopped and spun around to look at her. "You should wait here for a moment." He said, giving her a distasteful glare as he spoke. "Mira told me she wanted to see you."

She folded her arms across her chest and shrugged at him. "What does she want? I've done my job, haven't I? I've brought the intel with me and I even put some additional information to recover my absence last week. It had gone overboard and I shouldn't have done that if you want to keep this treaty valid." He raised an eyebrow at her incredulously, resulting her to grit her teeth with the pent-up tension bubbling inside her.

No matter how she tried so hard to impress them, she would always be a speck of dust in their eyes. Her presence never been counted as a threat and instead she was the one who was always on the edge of the line, being the weak one who was stupid enough to fall into their twisted game. She had to constantly holding her tears as she thought about this, about how she had lost her life to the hands of the devil. She began to realize that she had never got the chance to have the life she wanted since she stepped into this hell. She should've known that, and it had already been too late even if she tried to restore everything back to the way it used to be.

She closed her eyes as she could feel Mira's presence surrounded her, taking her breath away as she stood closely before her until their faces were only a few inches away from each other. "Open your eyes, Tate. I'm not in the mood for your pathetic games right now. Where were you last week? I was about to change my mind if only _he_ didn't show up and told me that you had a little rendezvous with him at the very same night when you were supposed to be here. It was very sweet of him to cover your ass for the lateness you've made, though. Didn't expect you two had a thing for each other."

Skye's eyes snapped open at her sharp words, looking straightly into the darkened pupils in front of her. "I don't know him, Mira. It was just a stupid accident and I would be forever regretting that moment when I stumbled upon him on the way to this wretched place." Mira narrowed her eyes, trying to find the truth in her words before she retreated from her and turned away.

"Well, I couldn't care less about your situation if it didn't affect our agreements. It had been the third time this month and I've given you so many dispensations for your unprofessionalism. Don't do this again, Tate. And this time I won't be hesitate to throw her away if you breached the contract once again." She shot her a hard glare but Skye's face remained stoic under the pressure she gave at her.

"I promise I won't do that again." She finally spoke, realizing there was no chance for her to argue with Mira. "Now, can I see her, please?" Her voice sounded distant and defeated. She felt tired with this and it was a waste to cover it with the fragile walls around her. Mira would bombarded her defense easily and she finally gave up after several attempts she made that ended up with her being the one who was on the loser side. Never again she would walk on that rough path anymore, as it brought her nothing but pain and deep scars on her worn out life.

"There's someone inside waiting for you. Behave yourself and don't mess this up or you'll be sorry for the rest of your goddamn life." Before Skye could register the words in her mind, Mira had left her standing alone on the entrance of the small room in front of her. Waves of fear started to wash over her and slowly she took a staggered step towards the room, pushing the rough fabric with her hand and revealed the sight exclusively for her wary eyes.

She stood there for a moment, couldn't accept the overwhelming fact that he was there, sitting beside her mother's bed just a few steps away from her grasp. Her breath caught in her throat as he turned around and landed his penetrating gaze at her. Her brain disconnected from her body as he stood up and walked slowly towards her, abruptly grabbing her waist in his arms and leaned over to brush his lips on her ear.

"Hello, Bucket. Miss me?" his breathy whisper tickled her neck, shuddering her into the very core of her sanity. His voice, the lulling voice that had haunted her for days had revived from the death, making its way to every part of her body, paralyzing her under his touch.

His low chuckle rumbled in her ear as he shifted to settle his forehead against hers. He seemed to enjoy their intimate embrace, letting his hands roaming on her back tenderly, leaving her breathless with the foreign sensation that she felt in the inside. She wanted to scream but she lost her voice, unable to form any coherent words in her mind as he leaned back and stared deeply into her eyes. His breath was ragged with anticipation, staring at her enthusiastically as if she was a valuable price, waiting to be unwrapped and revealed her precious content to him.

She felt her stomach churned as he smiled and released his grip from her, pulling her back into reality as she realized he was toying with her emotion. "What do you want, Lucas? Why are you here in my mother's room?" He reached out to touch her face when she shoved his hand away harshly.

"Don't touch me." She spat at him, shooting him with a hard glare as he raised his eyebrows at her skeptically. "Not even a nice word to say to me, Bucket?" he gave her a hurt expression and she turned away to avoid his intense stare at her. "You're pathetic, Lucas. And don't call me that. I don't like people exploiting my privacy."

He raised his hands at her, giving a sense of apologizing gesture while his expression told her the other way around. She narrowed her eyes in disgust, realizing what he had done to her. He was manipulating her, and she felt vulnerable and weak under his presence. Suddenly she felt the fear started to creep underneath her skin once again as a new revelation dawned in her mind. She swallowed thickly before lifting up her eyes to look at him. "How did you know that, Lucas? What have you done to my mother?" She started to lose her composure as she walked pass him and saw her mother slept soundly, as if the situation didn't bother her.

She sat on the chair, taking her hand in hers before turning around and gave him a cold glare. "What have you done to her, Lucas? You can mess with me but you can never touch her." Her pupils dilated with rage as she spoke, clenching her free hand into fist as she saw him walking towards her and crouched on the side of the bed. "I was just having a nice conversation with her. Is there anything wrong if I wanted to be friends with your mother?"

"Yes." She spat vehemently, eyeing him in horror as he repositioned the blanket tentatively on Deb's body. "Your mother looked tired. Can we talk outside for awhile?" he asked her casually as he nodded to the direction of the open balcony on the side of the room. She stood up while her eyes never left his as he spread his arm at her, asking her to lead the way.

She stood stiffly by him while he leaned slightly to the bamboo railings, casting his gaze to the lush vegetation in front of him. "Do you remember, the last time we were at the Snakehead Falls.." "What do you want, Lucas?" Her voice was as sharp as a dagger, cutting his words before he could finish the sentence.

He chuckled lightly at her abrupt reaction, finding it quite amusing as he shifted his eyes on her. "Getting on to the point already, aren't we, Bucket?" She folded her arms across her chest. "Just tell me what you want. I don't have time for this nonsense. The sooner we end this conversation the better. I just want to see my mother, is that too much to ask after all the things that I've been through?"

Lucas studied her for a moment before he answered in a low tone. "No." He murmured, "It's not too much to ask after all the things you've been through." She glared at him, finding his words agitated her even more and she felt as if he had crossed the line and shoved himself into her little circle. "Don't give your pity on me, Lucas. It's pathetic." Despite her harsh tone, he leaned forward and brushed the strands of her hair away from her face. His fingertips hovered above her delicate features and she held her breath as he glided the back of his hand through her cheek.

"You can say whatever you want to me, Bucket. I was giving you a sincere comment and you threw it back completely on my face. I should be disappointed at you, but I will forgive you this time. Take this as my favor to you. So don't spoil my gift because I'm not always this generous to people." She turned her face away from him, trying to avoid his fiery touch on her skin. She felt cheap and manipulated by this man in front of her. Danger was visible in his eyes, but his gesture told her a whole different story. It had made her tossed and turned in the inside, unable to decipher the situation in her scattered mind.

Lucas shoved his hands into his pockets, leaning away from her and walked to the edge of the balcony, eyeing her as he settled himself on a small chair and gestured her to move closer to him. She reluctantly followed and stood just a few steps away from him, lifting her chin defiantly as she waited for him to make his next move on her.

"Since you're not interested in playing this the nice way, I guess that left us with one choice." He paused and glanced slightly at her, waiting for her reaction to his statement. "I don't care." She replied to him coldly, suppressing the rage and hatred that were burning inside her.

He nodded approvingly before standing up and stood closely to her until there was no gap left between them. He pushed her slowly to the wall and held her there firmly with his body. He stared at her smugly while she dared herself to lock her eyes on him, even when she felt her walls started to crumble down at his overbearing presence.

"You're not giving up, aren't you?" he whispered to her darkly, keeping their distance as close as possible by trapping her between his arms. He leaned down until their faces were just inches from each other. "Alright." He smiled mischievously, "You got your wish, Bucket. I won't be playing nice to you anymore." He leaned back from her and sat back lazily on the chair. His face had turned solemn and hard as he trained his eyes on her.

"There's a reason for me to come here in the first place." He remarked, keeping his gaze on her as she scoffed at him. "Why that didn't surprise me." She leaned on the nearest railings, raising her eyebrows at him mockingly.

"So let me guess, you'll need me to do something for you. How sweet." She retorted bitterly, keeping her expression straight as she felt the wave of pain crashing her entire body, realizing she was about to face another tribulation on her path.

He shrugged at her casually and leaned further to his chair as if they were having a normal conversation with each other. "You see, this is what I like about you. You've managed to figure things out by yourself without having me to explain it to you from the beginning. It had made my job so much easier."

She gritted her teeth as he spoke, trying to hold the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. As much as she tried to look tough in front of him, she had her own limits, and she couldn't hold it anymore as he had ripped her apart to pieces. His composure made her insides screamed in agony, telling her to close her eyes and shut herself from the outer world. But she couldn't seem to get away from the heavy atmosphere around her, weighing her into place without mercy.

Lucas stood up and walked slowly towards her. "You know, I've been waiting for this day to come since I was 14 years old. Finally after 5 years of grueling battle in the exile, I've managed to lay my hand on the tip of my bright future. With your little help, I will be taking another step further to the end of the dark tunnel that had been trapping me for half of my lifetime."

He cocked his head to the side, studying her expression closely as he continued. "Your job is simple. I need you to retrieve what is supposed to belong to me that my beloved father had kept it when he banished me from his precious Terra Nova." He reached out to lift her chin with his fingers. "Ask him what had happened to his lost son, and I'm sure you'll figured out the rest of the task once you find the answer."

Skye stared blankly at him, trying to process his words in her mind. Reality struck her hard as she realized that she had plunged herself deeper in this treachery and she had no other choice but to accept it. "How dare you.." she whispered to him weakly, letting the tears flowing from her eyes.

She shoved him with the remnants of her strength, clenching her hands into fists as she saw him towering above her once again, gripping her hips roughly in his hands. "Do you think, just because you acted nice to my mother then you can use me to your own will? I'm not that shallow, Lucas. There's no agreement to this. The deal is off. I'm not doing this for you." She chided at him beseechingly.

He gave her a frivolous smile in return, tightening his grip on her waist until she winced in pain. "Well then, I might have to rearrange your mother's welfare with Mira. You should've thanked me that she hadn't thrown your mother away to the Slashers due to your absence last week. I felt that I owed you after our little accident and I've done my part by sparing her life for you. Now, shouldn't you do the same thing for me? As a fair trade with a friend?"

He slid his hands up to cup her face, burying his fingers into her hair. "I'm not your friend, Lucas." She replied to him coldly, looking straightly into his jade-green eyes as she spoke. "And even if I agreed to this, I'm only doing it for the sake of her, not _you._"

His mouth twisted into a smirk before leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Just do what you have to do, Bucket. And I will forever be grateful that I have found you." He paused for a moment, listening to her gasp as he trailed his lips across her cheek with a feathery touch. "And you're right." He murmured, "We have never been friends, just two strangers that had an unfortunate encounter with each other." And with a swift move, he lifted her face and pressed his lips against hers.

* * *

><p>Hope you enjoyed this one! Thank you for reading. ;)<p> 


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